HistoricHawaii

Suisan Company, Ltd. Stephen Ueda assumed the role of President and CEO of Suisan Company, Ltd. in 2017. He is the eighth president of the 117-year-old family-owned company. Prior to Suisan, Mr. Ueda worked throughout the United States and United Kingdom as a product and systems developer for Ford/Visteon. He returned to Hilo to join Suisan in 2007, and held numerous positions including distributor sales representative, buyer, key accounts manager, and vice president. Stephen holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master of Business Administration from University of California–Irvine. His other community service includes board service and volunteering with Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawai‘i, The Food Basket, Junior Achievement of Hawai‘i Island, Family Business Center of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce and Hawai‘i Food Industry Association.

Island Strategy LLC Jan TenBruggencate is the author of books on the history of the Hawaiian sugar and pineapple industries, on Pacific piracy, menehune, volcanoes and other topics. He is a retired daily newspaper journalist (The Honolulu Advertiser) and a more recently a communications consultant. He serves on the Kaua‘i County Charter Review Commission, and the board of the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative and is a founding director of Mālama Hulē‘ia, which operates the 600-year-old Alakoko Fishpond on Kaua‘i. He coordinates the Environmental Journalism Fellowship at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. He was born in Holland, raised on Moloka‘i and coaches paddling with Kaiola Canoe Club at Niumalu, Kaua’i.

Hawai‘i Pacific Health Mike Robinson is Vice President for Government Relations & Community Affairs for Hawai‘i Pacific Health. He is responsible for leading legislative advocacy and community health improvement efforts for four hospital healthcare systems (Kapi‘olani Medical Center, Pali Momi Medical Center, Straub Medical Center and Wilcox Medical Center). He previously served in several other roles for HPH, including executive director for philanthropy and government relations and director for institutional funding. Prior to joining HPH, Mr. Robinson worked for the University of Hawai‘i Foundation for four years and had stints as a commercial real estate analysis and urban planner with the architectural firm Media 5. He holds a Juris Doctor in Law from the University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law; a Master’s in Business Administration from the UH Shidler College of Business; and a Master of Arts in Economics from UH-Mānoa. His undergraduate degree in Economics and Business is from Cornell University. His other community service includes serving on the boards of directors for the City & County of Honolulu Department of Parks & Recreation; Bikeshare Hawai‘i (BIKI); Alzheimer’s Association of Hawai‘i; and the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute.

Morgan Stanley Tom Lambert is a Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor and Kahului, Maui Branch Manager for Morgan Stanley. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Colorado College. He lives in a historic home in Upcountry Maui.

Kū-A-Kānaka ‘I‘ini Kahakalau is Hiapo (Senior Director) for Kū-A-Kānaka, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization of Hawaiian language, culture and traditions. Fluent in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language), Ms. Kahakalau is a lifelong practitioner of Hawaiian cultural practices, including protocol and ceremonies, food preparation and knowledge of Hawaiian stories, chants, songs, plants and native science. She is a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i – Hilo as a Liberal Studies major integrating Computer Science, Business e-commerce, and Hawaiian language and culture. ‘I‘ini develops culturally-grounded websites for businesses, nonprofits and education enterprises, develops social media and public relations campaigns, and leads cultural education field schools and camps. A resident of Waipi‘o Valley, she is a graduate of the Kanu o Ka ‘Āina New Century Public Charter School and served on the school’s Hawaiian language curriculum committee, assisting with K-12 Hawaiian language curriculum mapping. Her other community service includes being the Hāmākua representative to the Hawai‘i Island Burial Council, Treasurer for the Waipi‘o Taro Farmers Association, and member of the Kōmike Ho‘okele (leadership committee) for Kanaeokana.

First Hawaiian Bank Greg Hackler is a Vice President and Private Banking Officer with First Hawaiian Bank’s Private Banking Division. With over 15 years of experience in the banking industry, Mr. Hackler’s background is primarily in commercial lending. He began his banking career in wealth management, focused on insurance and estate planning, before moving to retail banking and later commercial banking. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and is a graduate of ‘Iolani School.  Born and raised in Honolulu, Greg is an active volunteer with First Hawaiian Bank’s Community Care program. His other community service includes serving on the board for Residential Youth Services & Empowerment.